Chapter 16

Emi

It’s amazing how quick my heart can go from bursting with love to feeling like a lead weight. I’ve told myself over and over that I’m being an idiot, but the message isn’t sinking in.

It was too soon. What was I thinking? What did I expect? That’s the problem; I didn’t know what to expect. But now, I’m in a topsy-turvy state of emotions.

“Emi, I’m moving to Charlotte next month,” I hear Maren say, absently paying attention.

“Okay.”

She keeps talking, rambling about buying a motorcycle, quitting her job, and becoming a back-up dancer for Beyoncé. I nod with each statement, not caring. Her last announcement jars me out of my head, and my eyes snap to hers.

“What did you just say? You’re going back to Carlton? Are you fucking mental?”

“Finally! You pay attention to me. What the hell is your problem?”

I shake my head and look around her living room, realizing the bottle of wine is empty, there are papers spread out everywhere on our TA clients, and somewhere in the last hour, we’ve outlined a plan for Justin.

“Sorry,” I mumble, setting my glass on her coffee table then curling into the corner of her sofa. “I screwed up.”

“How?”

“I told Walker I love him.”

She sucks in a breath, her eyes growing wide. “And what was his reaction?”

“Nothing at first. It slipped out, and then he kissed me with such ferocity I literally melted into him.”

“What did he say?”

“He demanded I repeat it.”

“Sounds smoking hot. The picture in my head is even hotter than when he showed up at the bar.”

“It was a mistake. Way too soon.” I tell her the whole story of the way home and the events leading up to my disastrous confession. When I’m done, her eyes are wide and shining bright.

“Let me get this straight. He kissed you so passionately your knees gave out, he said you gave him a gift he’d been waiting for, and told you that you’d have the conversation later; yet, you act like he shattered your heart.”

“I told him I love him, Maren. The first man besides my dad I’ve ever said that to, and he didn’t say it back. I’m embarrassed and I feel stupid.”

“Open your eyes, Emi. That was him telling you he loves you. He’s been telling you for weeks. Walker’s an action man… think about his actions.”

The last five weeks fly through my mind, and each memory sends a little ripple through my body. My mood does a complete shift as I realize I’ve been overreacting.

“GAH! Why am I such a girl?” I whack the sofa and fall back.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. As a girl, we get a pass on being emotionally distressed.”

“I’m going to pretend like it didn’t happen,” I declare, standing and reaching for my phone. “I gave him a little attitude this morning, so I’ll apologize and chalk it up to having to go into the office. Then I’ll act like nothing happened.”

“Not sure that will work, but give it a try.”

“It’ll work,” I assure her as much as myself, scrolling to his number.

“Wait, before you call him, did you retain any of the information about Justin?”

“Yep, and tomorrow, I’ll put a tracker on his car. We’ll go from there.”

“Perfect, now call your boyfriend.”

I hit send and listen for the connection, but at the same time, there’s a knock at her door. She looks at me, her jaw dropping.

“It can’t be,” I mouth, now hearing the ringing in harmony on my phone and the other side of her door.

She leaps up, running to the door and squinting through her peephole. She then spins around and starts motioning for me to help her clean up. In a panic, I hang up and throw the phone, scraping all the papers that are strewn across the table and sofa.

She slams her computer closed and lifts the sofa cushion for me to stuff the paperwork.

“Sit back and look natural.” She shoves my empty wine glass in my hand and then fluffs her hair, pasting on a smile.

“Who is it?” Her attempt at cheery comes out more of a squeak.

“Walker.” His brisk reply booms through the wood.

“Hi, Walker,” she says cheerily as she opens the door.

Without waiting for an invitation, he barges in until he’s in front of me. His eyes do a full body scan and land on mine. He takes the wine glass, tossing it on the couch, and grips my elbows gently, tugging me to him.

“Hi, sweetheart.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders and kiss him briefly. “This is a nice surprise.”

“You were supposed to call me.”

“I just did. You didn’t answer.”

“When you left work, you were supposed to call.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” I tell him sincerely, hoping he picks up my double meaning.

The storm in his eyes softens, telling me he understands immediately. He drops his hands to my hips and pulls them flush to his, then lowers his mouth to kiss me. His lips move urgently, his tongue swirling with mine until I’m dizzy and grasping at his shoulder blades to keep my balance.

He doesn’t stop kissing me, even as Maren clears her throat and starts to cough. I break away, still holding on, and twist my head to find her with her arms crossed, gloating.

“Can you drive?” he rumbles in my ear.

“Yes, why?”

“The wine.”

“I only had a glass,” I assure him.

“Let’s go. Where’s your purse?”

“Here it is.” Maren hands it to him.

“Wait, I need my phone.”

“You have my number?” he questions her, ignoring me.

“Sure do.”

“Call me if you need us.” He drags me behind him, digging through my purse until he finds my keys, and unlocks my car.

Silently, he sets me inside, puts the key fob in my cup holder, and leans in until he’s trapped me between his arms.

“Walker—”

“Quiet, Emerson. I’ll follow you to my house. There are things we need to discuss.”

“No, we don’t. There’s nothing to discuss—” I try again.

His lips hover over mine, and when he speaks, his warm breath coats my lips. “My house, your sweet ass, and no more sass.” He doesn’t kiss me before shoving away and slamming my door.

I watch him get into his truck and gesture for me to drive. My hands tremble a little the whole way with nervous anticipation. Is he mad at me for being foolish?

You don’t kiss someone like that if you’re mad, do you?

He came for me when I didn’t call. That’s a good sign, right?

Why did I have to act irrational? When he called last night to say he’d be working late, I let my imagination run wild. I automatically assumed he was avoiding me.

He’s a detective, you asshole, not an accountant. I tell myself, getting closer to his house. Crime doesn’t happen only during the day.

I knew leaving that damn note would cause problems, but I was too embarrassed to think straight. It was a coward’s way out. I thought if I could avoid him for the imminent future, he’d forget I said anything. And if I truly didn’t chase him away, we could go back to the way things were.

All night, I laid in bed and wondered if I made a mistake, but now, I understand clearly. The image of his face when he saw me yesterday morning in my parents’ living room fills my head.

Maren’s right; he’s an action man, and he does care about me in some deep way. If this is how he shows his love, I’ll live with it. I don’t have to hear the words.

I park and take several deep breaths, ready to explain that my lack of judgment was immature at best.

My feet never touch the ground before Walker is at my door and throwing me over his shoulder. I’m momentarily stunned by the action, so the only thing that I do is yelp and clutch his hips. We pass his foyer, living room, and bedroom before he finally places me on my feet.

He twists, spinning me at the same time so my back is to his front. His hands slide into mine as he crosses his forearms across my chest, caging me into his body.

“What do you see?” My stomach clenches at the roughness in his tone.

My eyes roam around the closet, taking in the mostly empty space. All of his clothes are arranged on the right side, and the shelves are stacked with his sweaters and sweatshirts. The shoe rack is crammed with his boots, dress shoes, and tennis shoes he alternates depending on his workout.

His closest was neat before, but now, it's meticulously organized.

“Your closet looks nice, honey.”

“What do you see?” he growls into my ear, sending a shiver racing up and down my spine.

I take in the expansive area that was different last night. The new arrangement leaves an entire wall and half the sectioned shelves empty.

“I see a lot of empty space,” I barely breathe out, his arms growing tighter.

“It's not going to be empty for long. I want you to hang your clothes in here. Bring over all you want, but make sure you never have to leave again because you don't have clothes for work at my house.”

“Walker, about last night and this morning—” I start.

“Last night and this morning are over. We're here now, and it's time we have that conversation I mentioned.”

My heart starts racing, and I force myself to stay quiet. He drops his arms, keeping a grasp on one hand, and twirls me to face him. His free hand slides across my shoulder, trailing up my neck, until it's caressing the back of my head. He pins our joined hands on the edge of my hip. I'm wedged against him.

“I told you that you had given me a gift I'd been waiting for. That gift is precious to me. It's something I don't take lightly, something so powerful that I needed the appropriate time to show you exactly how it makes me feel. Standing in your parents’ living room with them down the hall wasn't the place to strip you naked and make love to you until you’d remember the feeling of me deep inside you while I told you the same. I tried to pour all of that into a kiss. I guess it didn’t work.

“So, I'm going to ask you to say it again.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Goddammit, Emi, this time it’s going to be exactly as it should have been. Say. It. Again.” His demand is ruthless and powerful, fire blazing in his eyes.

My mouth and throat go so dry that I have to swallow hard to try to find my voice. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

“I love you.” I raise my hand to his cheek and, like yesterday, his hazel eyes flare and fade into a deep shade of blue.

“I love you, too. That first night I saw you in the restaurant with Maren, all it took was one look. You made it easy on me by marching your sweet ass into my station. I knew I was in trouble. The kind of trouble that makes a man want to fall at your feet and worship you. The kind that makes a man sit on his couch on a Saturday afternoon texting, flirting, and stroking himself to the thought of exactly what promises lie ahead the next day. I am not the kind of man known to talk about my feelings or do the hearts and flowers thing. But with you, I see that changing.”

“I don’t want you to change. You’re doing perfect just like you are.” I try to fight back the tears that threaten but fail miserably. My nose starts to sting as two tears roll down my cheeks.

“Why are you crying?” His thumb swipes away the wetness.

“I’m not sure. It doesn’t happen very often. I think it’s because I’m so happy. I’ve never, ever, in all my life, felt this way. My heart is about to burst.”

His lips tip up in a lopsided grin. “Get used to it, because making you happy is my life mission.”

We stare at each other, letting the words hang in the air. Slowly, he starts to back up, taking me with him.

“I need to hear you say one more thing.”

“What?”

“Next time you get upset, you’ll talk to me. No matter what it is, we talk it out.”

“We talk it out,” I confirm.

His eyes light up with approval.

“I think it’s time we get to the stripping naked part now.”

My stomach flips again, this time fluttering at the same time.

“Stripping naked sounds good.”

“What are you doing out of bed?” Walker walks up behind me, sweeping my hair over my shoulder and placing his lips on my neck. The room fills with the scent of him fresh out of the shower, his damp skin closing around me.

I’m staring at the space he freed for me in the closet. “Remembering,” I respond, leaning into him for support.

He turns me to him, linking his hands around my waist. My breath hitches when I come eye level to his chest, where small beads of water cling to his skin. I lick my lips, wondering exactly how much time we have until he leaves for work.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” I rake my eyes up slowly, enjoying my view, until they land on his.

“Like I need to take you back to bed.”

“Who needs a bed?”

“Emi—”

“I can’t help it! If you don’t want to be ogled, you can’t come in here looking like this.” I wave my hand up and down his body. The shirt I’m wearing opens at my movement, exposing my nudity underneath. His eyes mirror my actions from a second ago, roaming my body.

“Fuck.” He lets out a sharp hiss.

“That’s what I’m thinking, too.” I press into him, feeling his firmness under the towel.

“One look, Emi, one glimpse, and I’m ready to go again.”

“It’s called a healthy sexual appetite.”

“I’m thirty years old. You’ve reverted me back to a horny teenager. I can’t get enough.”

I yank on the towel until it falls to the floor, then lift my mouth to his. “You won’t hear any complaints from me.”

The kiss starts out slow, him pushing the shirt off my shoulders until we’re both naked. I crawl up his body, locking my legs around his waist and guiding him easily inside.

His hands dig into my hips, and he growls against my tongue when I purposely constrict my thighs and clench my core muscles at the same time.

“You aren’t the only one always ready to go again.”

I break away from his mouth, placing my forehead against his as I rock back and forth. His eyes are closed, his lips parted as his own breathing increases. There’s no denying Walker likes control, and he’s fighting to take over. But this morning, he’s handing over that control. I raise my hips and slam back down, crying out at the sensation.

A rush of power comes over me, and I slow down, determined to make this last. Being in charge shoots adrenaline through my veins, pushing me to speed up, but this is my chance to give back to Walker for all the times he’s taken me to the brink of madness. Now it’s my turn to tease and taunt him until he comes apart.

“Emi—”

“Shhh, let me do this my way.”

His eyes fly open, and the intensity in his gaze scorches through me. I swivel my hips in both directions, teasing him as my hands fist in his hair. Then I hitch my hip to the side and angle him deeper so that I can literally feel him everywhere. With each thrust, the friction between us rubs against my clit and my breathing becomes pants.

He starts to move with me, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and nipping with his teeth. Then he starts his own seduction, moving his mouth along my chin, jaw, and neck until he reaches my ear.

“Ride me, Emi. Let me feel your pussy grip me harder.”

A coiling and trembling starts in the pit of my stomach, and I won’t last much longer. I drive up and down, every muscle in my body wrapping tighter around him. My toes start to tingle as I struggle to hold back.

“Walker,” I moan, wanting him with me.

“Give it to me, Emerson.”

My legs start to quiver as I drive down on him twice more and explode, screaming his name. That sets him over the edge, and he loses the handle on his control, pummeling into me until my vision blurs. I barely feel him thicken inside me as he sets off another orgasm with his throaty growl.

We stay this way, me wrapped around him, clutching firmly as my body trembles.

“Jesus fucking Christ. You drive me wild.”

I don’t have the energy to respond, my body spent.

There’s a loud knock at the door, followed by the bell ringing twice.

“What the fuck?”

“Who could that be?” I whisper as if whoever is at the door can hear me.

“There’s only one person it would be, and he’s about to be dead.”

The doorbell rings again, and I jerk, causing Walker to hiss. He’s still deep inside me.

“Sorry.”

“I’m going to set you down now.”

I shake my head, still feeling the after effects of my two orgasms. “I don’t think I can stand on my own. You have a way of making me almost immobile.”

A satisfied and smug smile crosses his lips, and he turns, taking us to the bathroom, where he sets me on the counter. My ankles unlatch, falling clumsily.

“Okay now?” He brushes my hair from my face.

“Maybe.”

He likes this answer, his grin growing. “God, I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He steps back, kissing my forehead and reaching for another towel. He wraps it around my shoulders. “Take your time. I’ll bring you your coffee.”

He leaves and I hear a drawer closing as the doorbell rings again and again. “Asshole, if you don’t stop ringing that damn bell, I’ll kill you, Marcus!”

I giggle and find my strength, hopping off the counter and starting the shower. Quickly, I shower and leave the bathroom to find my coffee on the dresser. Also, Walker has laid out a clean t-shirt next to my pants from last night.

I catch my reflection in the mirror and know Marcus is going to realize exactly what we were doing. My wet hair is in a bun and my face flushed and glowing. Walker’s stubble left little marks on my cheeks and chin, which haven’t returned to normal.

Marcus is leaning against the counter with his own coffee when I walk into the kitchen. He looks me up and down, not hiding his amusement.

“Morning, Emi.”

“Morning, Marcus,” I answer happily, going to Walker’s side.

“Sorry to drop in so early. Hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” he goads me with a gleam in his eye.

“No, you’re fine. We just finished christening Walker’s closet,” I say with a straight face and watch his jaw drop.

“Jesus Christ,” Walker mutters, circling my waist and setting his chin on the top of my head. “Babe, we’ve got to have a talk about you sharing our sex life with everyone.”

“I thought you didn’t mind, seeing as you’re known as the ‘stud’.” I raise my face to his.

His dimple pops and his lips twitch, completely making me want to crawl on him again.

“Let’s try to tone it down.”

“If you say so.” I shrug and turn back to Marcus. “What’s going on?”

“I ran out of coffee, knew Walker would have some.”

“You are the richest fucker I know. You couldn’t stop at the convenience store?” Walker doesn’t buy his excuse.

“Fine, how about I stopped by to hear about church on Sunday.”

I start to laugh. “It was a nice service.”

“When is the gossip going to stop? We’re old news.” Walker blows out a sigh. “Seriously, Marcus, why are you really here this morning.”

He walks over and places his cup in the sink and turns to Walker. “I know you already had a work out today, but you up for the gym tonight”

My gut tells me he’s not going to give his real reason for being here while I’m present. He’s got something on his mind.

“If I get out at a decent time,” Walker answers.

I remember Justin and all of Maren’s plans, including the GPS.

“Actually, I think it’s a great idea. I’ve got a ton of stuff to do today for work, and tonight, Maren’s talked me into a new spin class.”

“Spin class?”

“I’ve banned yoga, so she’s convinced me there’s little chance of injury on a stationary bike.”

“Chances are slim but still possible,” He jokes.

“Stop.” I shove him. “I’m going to give it a try.”

“Okay.” He jerks his head at Marcus. “I’ll plan on it unless something happens at work.”

“Gotta head out,” Marcus announces.

“Me too. Give me a minute.” Walker links my hand in his and tugs me behind him. I wave at Marcus as I follow Walker.

“You want me to come to your place tonight?” he asks me when we get to his room.

“No, after I finish my stuff, I’ll come here.”

“Pack a bag full of clothes.”

“I will,” I assure him, feeling the goofy grin and happy glow start to shine.

He notices, kissing the tip of my nose and disappearing to get his gym bag. I walk him back to the door and wave them off before closing the door and sagging against it.

I allow myself one minute to gush in my head about all that’s happened in the last two days, then I kick it into gear. I have to get that tracking device on Justin’s car this morning if we’re going to start our surveillance this afternoon.